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Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog
In a recent post about genetic erosion I asked one of the commenters, Andre, two questions:
1: What is the justification for a single set of seed regulations designed for and with large commercial farmers, which does not meet other growers’ needs?
2: Why, in your view, is Europe’s position preferable?
He was kind enough to send this reply.
There are three questions in the first one.
1. Is there a single set of seed regulations? The answer is yes and no. No as regards the underlying policies; yes, on balance, as regards the technicalities. Any country that wishes to partake in the international seed trade will adopt the standards and procedures recommended by OECD and ISTA. And , of course, any country considering regulations for the domestic market (and any consultant working for such a country) will draw inspiration from existing proven systems, and this leads to a certain degree of uniformity. Technicalities are also largely defined by agricultural biology and technology.
2. Are seed regulations designed for and with large commercial farmers? The answer is again no. Seed regulations are designed in the public interest. Their fundamental objective is that farmers, small and large, can reliably source high-quality seed, which is a basic element of agricultural and food security..
It is fair to say that seed regulations – both major components (seed control and variety listing) where they exist – benefit small farmers much more than large ones. Small farmers have indeed much more to loose than big ones from spurious seeds, or from defective varieties. Big farmers also have more options.
3. Do seed regulations fail to meet the needs of some growers? If you consider a farmer who is determined to produce seed for sale outside the legally defined parameters in systems which only allow trade in certified seeds, then the answer is yes. If you consider the European system, with limitative lists of varieties authorised for sale, and a grower who is adamant at growing a non-listed variety, then the answer is also yes. If you consider the needs of the vast majority …